Liquidproof connector

ABSTRACT

A waterproof connector ( 10 ) includes a mounting plate ( 31 ) to be mounted to a body of a vehicle. A terminal accommodating portion ( 32 ) penetrates through the mounting plate ( 31 ) in a front-back direction and is configured to accommodate terminals ( 20 ) inside. A peripheral wall ( 51 ) is provided at an outer peripheral side of the terminal accommodating portion ( 32 ). Water guides ( 54 ) are provided on a rear end part of the peripheral wall ( 51 ) at positions aligned with the mounting plate ( 31 ) in the front-back direction and allow communication between outer and inner peripheral sides of the peripheral wall ( 51 ). Seals ( 56 ) are mounted into mounting holes ( 55 ) perforated to form the water guides ( 54 ). Retaining portions ( 61 ) are provided on rear sides of the seals ( 56 ) and are configured to retain the seals ( 56 ).

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

A invention relates to a liquidproof or waterproof connector.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,910 discloses a vehicle-side connector with amounting plate to be mounted and fixed to an outer panel of a body of avehicle. The vehicle-side connector includes a terminal accommodatingportion configured to accommodate a terminal fitting inside. Theterminal accommodating portion projects in a front-back directionthrough the mounting plate. An outer tube projects back from themounting plate toward a vehicle interior side and has an opening. Atapered drainage path is provided on the inner lower surface of theouter tube and extends to the outside of the vehicle. A part of theterminal accommodating portion projecting toward the vehicle interiorside is covered over the entire circumference by the outer tube. Arubber plug is mounted in the outer tube so that the entire terminalaccommodating portion is sealed while a sealing space is ensured insidethe outer tube. The inner lower part of the sealing space has a taperinginclined surface continuous with the drainage path and this inclinedsurface is a part of the rubber plug. Thus, water that enters the insideof the terminal accommodating portion from a vehicle exteriortemporarily enters the sealing space and is discharged to the outside ofthe vehicle through the inclined surface and the drainage path.

However, the drainage route in the above vehicle-side connectordischarges water to the outside of the vehicle by way of the sealingspace arranged on a side more toward the vehicle interior side than themounting plate. The drainage route is excessively long and drainageefficiency is poor. Further, the large rubber plug is necessary to sealthe entire terminal accommodating portion, and enlarges the vehicle-sideconnector.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to improve overalloperability of a liquidproof connector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A waterproof connector disclosed by this specification includes amounting plate to be mounted and fixed to a body of a vehicle. Aterminal accommodating portion penetrates through the mounting plate ina front-back direction and accommodates a terminal inside. A peripheralwall is at an outer peripheral side of the terminal accommodatingportion. A water guide is provided on a rear part of the peripheral wallat a position aligned with the mounting plate in the front-backdirection. The water guide allows communication between outer and innerperipheral sides of the peripheral wall. A seal is mounted from behindinto a mounting hole perforated to cause the water guide to facebackward. A retaining portion is provided on a rear side of the seal andis configured to retain the seal.

The above-described configuration has a drainage route configured sothat water that enters from the outside of the vehicle moves toward thewater guide along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral walland is discharged to the outside of the vehicle along the outerperipheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion after fallingdown in the water guide. The water guide is at the position aligned withthe mounting plate in the front-back direction and the drainage route isarranged only on a side more toward the vehicle exterior than themounting plate. Thus, the drainage route can be shortened as comparedwith a drainage route that extends by way of a vehicle interior side.

A large seal for sealing the entire terminal accommodating portion isnot necessary, and it is sufficient to provide a seal having a necessaryminimum size in conformity with the size of the mounting hole. Thus, thewaterproof connector can be miniaturized with the miniaturization of theseal.

A closing plate may close a mold removal hole that penetrates throughthe mounting plate from behind and the retaining portion may protrudefrom a peripheral edge of the closing plate. Thus, the retaining portionuses an existing component, such as the closing plate, so that thenumber of components can be reduced. For example, the retaining portioncan use a closing plate to close a mold removal hole that is requiredfor molding a lock.

A plurality of the water guides may be provided for further enhancingdrainage efficiency.

The liquid guiding portion may be arranged within the range of themounting hole.

The waterproof connector described herein can shorten the drainage routewhile miniaturizing the waterproof connector.

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent uponreading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a waterproof connector.

FIG. 2 is a section along A-A of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A waterproof connector in accordance with an embodiment is identified bythe numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The connector 10 includes terminals 20,a housing 30 into which these terminals 20 are inserted and a retainer40 that retains the terminals 20. The waterproof connector 10 is avehicle-side connector to be mounted, for example, on a body of anautomotive vehicle from a vehicle interior side and is an inlet in somecases. Although not shown, the connector 10 is connected, for example,to a battery mounted in the automotive vehicle (such as an electricvehicle or a hybrid vehicle) and the battery is charged by connecting acharging connector provided in a charger from the front.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 30 includes a mounting plate 31 to bemounted and fixed to the body of the vehicle by bolts and asubstantially hollow cylindrical terminal accommodating portion 32penetrates through the mounting plate 31 in a front-back direction. Themounting plate 31 has protrusions 33 protruding toward an outerperipheral side with the terminal accommodating portion 32 as a center.Collars 34 are fixed to tip parts of these protrusions 33. Twoprotrusions 33 are arranged above the terminal accommodating portion 32are formed integrally and have an inverted triangular shape as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 2, a tubular portion 50 projects forward from the frontsurface of the mounting plate 31 of the terminal accommodating portion32 and a rearwardly open receptacle 35 projects from the rear surface ofthe mounting plate 31. An inner member 36 is mounted in the receptacle35 to form cavities 37 that penetrate in the front-back direction fromthe terminal accommodating portion 32 to the inner member 36 when theinner member 36 is mounted in the receptacle 35. The terminals 20 areaccommodated in these cavities 37. A seal ring 39 is fit on the outerperipheral surface of the inner member 36, and the interior of thereceptacle 35 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner by holding the sealring 39 in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of thereceptacle 35.

The retainer 40 has a retainer main body 41 with locking pieces 43 to belocked to the terminals 20 from behind and a retainer peripheral wall 42projects forward from the peripheral edge of the retainer main body 41.On the other hand, locking protrusions 38 are provided on the outerperipheral surface of the receptacle 35 and are to be fit and locked tolocking holes 44 on the retainer peripheral wall 42. The retainerperipheral wall 42 is fit to the outer peripheral surface of thereceptacle 35 when the retainer 40 is mounted onto the receptacle 35from behind and the locking protrusions 38 are fit and locked to thelocking holes 44. Thus, the retainer 40 is fixed to the receptacle 35and each terminal 20 is retained by each locking piece 43.

The terminal 20 is a male terminal including a solid cylindricalterminal main body 21. A terminal connecting portion 22 projects forwardfrom the front end of the terminal main body 21 and a wire connectingportion 23 projects back from the rear end of the terminal main body 21.The wire connecting portion 23 serves as a crimping portion of a closedbarrel type and has a rearwardly open hollow cylindrical shape that canbe crimped to a core exposed at an end part of a wire. A flange 24 isprovided circumferentially on a rear end part of the terminal main body21, and the locking piece 43 of the retainer 40 is locked to this flange24 from behind. A seal ring 25 is fit on the outer peripheral surface ofthe terminal main body 21, and a clearance between the terminal mainbody 21 of each terminal 20 and the inner peripheral surface of eachcavity 37 of the inner member 36 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner byholding the seal ring 25 in close contact with the inner peripheralsurface of the cavity 37 over the entire circumference.

A peripheral wall 51 is provided at an outer peripheral side of thetubular portion 50 in the housing 30 and surrounds the tubular portion50 over the entire circumference. The peripheral wall 51 has a hollowcylindrical shape and projects forward from the front surface of themounting plate 31. An unillustrated lock is provided on the uppersurface of the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 51. This lock ishooked and locked to a claw on the tip of a lever provided on a chargingconnector, thereby holding the charging connector in a state connectedto the waterproof connector 10.

A substantially U-shaped protection wall 52 is provided on the uppersurface of the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 51 for coveringthe lock. The protection wall 52 projects forward from the front surfaceof the mounting plate 31. An unillustrated mold removal hole is formedin the mounting plate 31 for molding the lock and penetrates themounting plate 31 in the front-back direction. A closing plate 53 ismounted to the mounting plate 31 from behind and is fixed (e.g. screwed)to the mounting plate 31, as shown in FIG. 1, for closing and sealingthe mold removal hole in a liquid-tight manner.

Left and right retaining portions 61 are provided on the peripheral edgeof the closing plate 53. The retaining portions 61 protrude obliquelydown from left and right oblique edges 62 extending obliquely out of theperipheral edge of the closing plate 53. The retaining portions 61 arearranged behind seals 56 to be described later to retain the seals 56.

As shown in FIG. 2, a water guide 54 penetrates through a rear part ofthe peripheral wall 51 and allows communication between outer and innerperipheral sides of the peripheral wall 51 at a position aligned withthe mounting plate 31 in the front-back direction. A mounting hole 55 isperforated behind this water guide 54, and the water guide 54 facesbackward via the mounting hole 55. Further, the mounting hole 55 is alsoa mold removal hole for molding the water guide 54. Thus, when viewedfrom behind, the water guide 54 is arranged within the range of themounting hole 55. Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, left and right mountingholes 55 overlap the left and right retaining portions 61 and,accordingly, left and right water guides 54 are provided.

The seals 56 are made of rubber and are mounted in each of the mountingholes 55. As shown in FIG. 2, the seals 56 closely contact the innerperipheral surfaces of the mounting holes 55 over the entirecircumference so that the mounting holes 55 are closed in a liquid-tightmanner. Further, a positioning flange 57 for is providedcircumferentially on a rear part of each seal 56. Thus, when the seal 56is mounted into the mounting hole 55, the flange 57 contacts an openingedge of the rear end of the mounting hole 55 from behind so that theseal 56 is mounted at a proper position. At this time, the front surfaceof the seal 56 is aligned with the rear surface of the mounting plate 31in the front-back direction and constitutes part of the water guide 54.On the other hand, the rear surface of the peripheral wall 51 is near acenter of the mounting plate 31 in the front-back direction and alsoconstitutes part of the water guide 54. Specifically, the water guide 54is aligned with the mounting plate 31 in the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, an entrance space 58 is between the upper surface ofthe outer periphery of the peripheral wall 51 and the inner surface ofthe protection wall 52, and may receive liquid such as water that entersfrom a vehicle exterior. Further, a discharge space 59 is between theouter periphery of the tubular portion 50 and the inner peripheralsurface of the peripheral wall 51. The drainage route of this embodimentis a route extending from the entrance space 58 to the discharge space59 by way of the water guides 54.

Water that enters the entrance space 58 moves along the upper surface ofthe outer periphery of the tubular portion 50, as shown by arrows inFIG. 2, falls down in the water guides 54, and is discharged to theoutside of the vehicle from the discharge space 59 along the uppersurface of the outer periphery of the tubular portion 50. The drainageroute shown by the arrows in FIG. 2 is only an example and a drainageroute in the discharge space 59 may discharge water to the outside ofthe vehicle along the lower surface of the inner periphery of theperipheral wall 51 after falling downwardly in the water guides 54 andrunning down along the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion50.

The front surface of a back wall 60 located at the rear end of thedischarge space 59 is flush with the front surfaces of the seals 56 andis at a position aligned with the rear surface of the mounting plate 31in the front-back direction. Thus, water in the drainage route isconstantly more toward the vehicle exterior side than the positionaligned with the rear surface of the mounting plate 31 in the front-backdirection and does not enter the vehicle interior side beyond theposition aligned with the rear surface of the mounting plate 31. As justdescribed, the drainage route is shorter as compared with the case whereit extends by way of the vehicle interior side, and has very highdrainage efficiency.

As described above, the drainage route is configured so that waterhaving entered from the outside of the vehicle moves toward the waterguides 54 along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 51,falls down in the water guides 54 and is discharged to the outside ofthe vehicle along the outer peripheral surface of the terminalaccommodating portion 32. The water guides 54 are aligned with themounting plate 31 in the front-back direction and the drainage route isarranged only on a side more toward the vehicle exterior than themounting plate 31. Thus, the drainage route is shortened as comparedwith the case where it extends by way of the vehicle interior side.

Further, a large seal for sealing the entire terminal accommodatingportion 32 is not necessary, and the seals 56 may have a necessaryminimum size in conformity with the size of the mounting holes 55. Thus,the waterproof connector 10 can be miniaturized with the miniaturizationof the seals 56.

The closing plate 53 for closing the mold removal hole that penetratesthrough the mounting plate 31 from behind may be provided and theretaining portions 61 may protrude from the peripheral edge of theclosing plate 53. Accordingly, since the retaining portions 61 areprovided using an existing component such as the closing plate 53, thenumber of components can be reduced. For example, the retaining portions61 can be provided using the closing plate 53 for closing the moldremoval hole for molding the lock.

A plurality of water guides 54 may be provided. Accordingly, drainageefficiency can be enhanced by the plurality of water guides 54.

The invention is not limited to the above described and illustratedembodiment. For example, the following various modes are also included.

Although the terminal accommodating portion 32 comprises a plurality ofmembers (inner member 36, tubular portion 50, etc.) in the aboveembodiment, it may be composed of a single member.

Although the protection wall 52 for covering the lock is illustrated inthe above embodiment, the water guides may be exposed to outside withoutproviding the protection wall. Alternatively, the water guides may beprovided at positions different from the lock.

Although the front surfaces of the seals 56 are arranged at positionssubstantially aligned with the rear surface of the mounting plate 31 inthe front-back direction in the above embodiment, they may not bearranged at the aligned positions. In short, the drainage route has onlyto be arranged on a side more toward the vehicle exterior side than thebody of the vehicle.

The retaining portions 61 are unitary with the closing plate 53 in theabove embodiment, they may be integral to the retainer or the seals 56may be retained using separate retaining components.

Although the two water guides 54 are provided in the above embodiment,only one, three or more water guides 54 may be provided.

REFERENCE SIGNS

-   10 . . . waterproof connector-   20 . . . terminal-   31 . . . mounting plate-   32 . . . terminal accommodating portion-   51 . . . peripheral wall-   53 . . . closing plate-   54 . . . water guide-   55 . . . mounting hole-   56 . . . seal-   61 . . . retaining portion

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquidproof connector, comprising: a mountingplate to be mounted and fixed to a body of a vehicle; a terminalaccommodating portion penetrating through the mounting plate in afront-back direction and projecting forward from the mounting plate, theterminal accommodating portion being configured to accommodate at leastone terminal inside; a peripheral wall projecting forward from themounting plate at an outer peripheral side of the terminal accommodatingportion, the peripheral wall having opposite inner and outer peripheralsurfaces; a protection wall projecting forward from the mounting plateand spaced from the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall; atleast one opening formed in a rear part of the peripheral wall andsubstantially aligned with the mounting plate in the front to backdirection to define at least one liquid guide and providingcommunication between the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of theperipheral wall; at least one seal mounted into at least one mountinghole perforated to form the liquid guide; and at least one retainingportion mounted on the seal and configured to retain the seal.
 2. Theliquidproof connector of claim 1, wherein, when viewed from behind, theliquid guide is arranged within the range of the mounting hole.
 3. Theliquidproof connector of claim 1, wherein the retaining portion ismounted on a rear side of the seal.
 4. The liquidproof connector ofclaim 1, further comprising a closing plate configured to at leastpartly close a mold removal hole that penetrates through the mountingplate.
 5. The liquidproof connector of claim 4, wherein the retainingportion protrudes from a peripheral edge of the closing plate.
 6. Theliquidproof connector of claim 1, wherein the at least one liquid guidecomprises a plurality of the liquid guides.